The Himalayan mountains and the temple

When I came across the photo this painting is based on, I was impressed by the sense of scale and grandour of nature, and how small and insignificant mankind is – as symbolised by the small, white temple on the bottom right hand side of the image.

I hope I have captured some of the sense of power in the mountains, as the rocky outcrops recede into the snowy distance while towering over the valley where the temple, and some farmland, are situated.

Technically this was an interesting painting to attempt – with the top right third of the painting being very monochromatic to portray the snowy jagged mountains.  The middle section of the painting has more colour and detail, and getting the sense of sunlight and shadow was quite challenging.  Finally the bottom section shows the calmer, farmed valley with the important shadows creating the sense of distance.  The white of the temple is the original paper , and serves to act as a focal point, and to draw you eye away from the grandure surrounding it.